After all this time
by Sweetandnasty27
Summary: He hadn't seen Damon in years since that one fateful night. But Elena's phone call about Damon dying was bound to change that. Damon/Alaric slash
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter One

The phone ringing woke him up out of his dream. He didn't want to pick it up but knew he had to. Whoever it was would keep calling him. He slid out of bed careful not to wake up the woman in his bed. He couldn't remember her name. Sarah, was it ? Or maybe her name was Sally. It definitely started with an S.

He threw on some jeans and opened his cell phone.

"Hello, Alaric Saltzman speaking." He stated in a tired voice.

"Ric, we need your help." A young woman's voice was heard. At first, Alaric was confused as to why some woman was calling him at night. But then, it hit him.

"Elena?!" He asked in a shocked voice.

"It's me, Ric. Look, we really need your help." She stated getting annoyed. It was one o'clock in the morning and she hadn't even gone to sleep She had to make sure that no one knew that she was calling Alaric.

" With what exactly do you need my help at 1 o'clock in the morning?" He sounded exasperated. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep, snuggle up to the woman and maybe in a few hours, convince to have another round. She was just a warm body anyway and they would forget about each other the next day.

" We need your help with Damon." She said. The name stirred up something in his stomach that he wished he wouldn't feel anymore. He didn't give a rats ass about _him_ anymore.

" Elena, as much as I would like to help, I do have a life here and am quite content on keeping it that way. " He said.

" He's dying, Ric." She said, now sounding more sad than annoyed as she was before.

" What? Why? " He whispered. He couldn't wrap his head around Elena's statement.

"Look, I didn't want to say anything on the phone but you asked. We need your help here in Mystic Falls." She was getting tired and really wanted to go to bed. On top of that, she didn't want Jeremy or _god forbid_, Stefan to find out whom she was talking to if they were to wake up.

" Elena, what's wrong with Damon? Why is he dying?" He asked wondering what could've happened to Damon in the time that he was gone.

" Please come to Mystic Falls." She ignored his question.

" You didn't answer my question. "

" We'll explain it once you're here. " He sighed. This girl never gave up.

" Fine Elena, I'll take the next plane out. See you soon. " They said their good-byes and he hung up his phone.

He packed his bag and left a note and a spare key for the woman to lock up once she woke up. Once everything was packed and ready, he took the taxi to the nearest airport and booked his flight.

_I bet everyone can't wait to see me. _He thought wryly.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter two

As the plane landed, Alaric thought about how his sudden arrival would affect the people of Mystic Falls. Furthermore, he wondered whether he should've called Elena to let her know when he would arrive.

He bit back a yawn. Sitting between two wailing children deprived him of the luxury of taking a nap. Deep down, he knew that he probably wouldn't have been able to fall sleep anyway. He buried thoughts of fear and nervousness to the back of his head and grabbed his bag.

There was no need to worry about how he was going to get to Elena's, he realized once he walked out of the gates. Alaric noticed Elena standing with a sign that had his name written in huge letters. Stefan was standing next to hear wearing an unreadable expression. He seemed to be fidgeting too, as if he was uncertain as how to act. _Now or Never. _He thought as he walked over to them.

"Hey Ric, it's good to see." Elena said and nudged Stefan with her elbow. Though the jab obviously didn't hurt Stefan, it caught his attention.

"Yeah um… good to see you, Ric. " Stefan muttered and linked his fingers with Elena's. Alaric smiled. It was good to see that things between Elena and Stefan hadn't changed at all. For a few minutes, he thought that they would just be standing in an awkward silence when something caught his eye. Both Elena and Stefan had rings on.

"When did this happen?" He asked nodding his head toward the rings that were on their fingers.

" Oh Stefan proposed a few weeks ago." Elena's face brightened as she talked about the proposal.

"We haven't set a date yet. Things have been hectic, what with Damon being sick." Stefan stated finally getting out of his trance.

" Oh well congratulations to both of you. " Alaric ignored the comment about Damon and pretended that he wasn't hit by a wave of guilt at all.

" So what's the plan?" Alaric asked.

" Well I was going to find a place that doesn't serve crappy food in this airport." Elena stated and before they knew it, she left.

"Aren't you guys…" Alaric trailed off .

"Vampires?" Stefan asked amused.

"Yes." Alaric answered.

"Yes but good food can be appreciated once in a while. Not like it affects our body." Stefan stated.

"Oh I see." Alaric responded even though he clearly didn't see.

Within minutes, Elena returned saying that there was a good pizza place in which they could eat. So with that, the three of them took of to the pizza place.

Once they arrived, they were told to wait. After a while, they wer led to a table and placed their orders. Elena's cell phone rang and she excused herself from the table. There was yet again another awkward silence. Alaric decided to try to break the silence.

"So how's school been?" He asked

"As great as school can be." Stefan said. Alaric knew the feeling. Though he was a teacher and not a student, there were days that he dreaded school the same way that his students did.

" You're going to the same college as Elena, right?" Alaric asked trying to further this conversation.

" Yep." Stefan simply answered. Where was Elena and what had happened to Stefan? Alaric remembered there was a time when he could talk to Stefan without there being any problems. Alaric sat there pondering this in silence.

"Listen Ric, I know that Elena told you that Damon isn't looking too hot but I don't know if you know the extent of the situation." So _this_ was what Stefan's hostility had been about.

"Well she told me that he was dying. She didn't exactly have the time to explain to me the details." Alaric said.

" Well, then I should warn you- he isn't himself. " Stefan said.

" I think I can handle it. " Alaric swatted at the bug that flew by buzzing.

" Look, I know you had a falling out back then. I won't pry you to tell me what happened that night because god knows neither of us wants to have another awkward conversation. All I'm saying is that I hope you can get past that when you see him."

" I can't promise anything but I'll try my best." He stated in response.

Just as their food arrived, Elena came back apologizing for leaving. The rest of the conversation went by smoothly. They talked about college and their plans for the future. Elena told him how wonderful it was that she was going to be finishing college soon and how she was thinking of applying to grad school while working. Stefan couldn't believe that after centuries of going to different high schools, he was finally moving past that part of his life and graduating college. Though he knew the sight and smell of blood would be a challenge for him, he was thinking about going to med school.

After they finished their food, they left the restaurant. Compelling the waitress not to charge them anything earned Elena a judging glare from Stefan and an " Elena, you didn't have to do that" from Alaric. Elena smirked and simply stated, "Hey, being a vampire has got to have its perks."

Alaric smiled. He had heard that somewhere before. After a few seconds of trying to pinpoint exactly why it sounded so familiar, his blood ran cold. That used to be Damon's catch phrase.

After making sure everything was loaded into Stefan's car, Alaric opened the car door and slid in the backseat.

_I wonder how he'll react to seeing me again. _Alaric thought as they drove down the highway.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter Three 

As they drew closer to the boarding house, Alaric couldn't help feeling nervous. He was uncertain as to how Damon would react to his arrival. As Stefan parked the car, Alaric crossed his fingers unthinkingly.

Why am I acting like a schoolgirl? I'm a grown man! Alaric scolded himself in his head and uncrossed his fingers. He noticed that Stefan and Elena were looking at him as if he had grown a second head. He realized that he must've freaked them out when he was having a conversation with himself in his head.

" Well, we're here." Stefan and Elena climbed out of the car.

"Oh.. um.. right." He opened the door, climbed out of the car, and grabbed his bag out of the trunk. The beep-beep sound he heard signified that Stefan had locked the car and they all headed to the door. Elena unlocked the front door and let them in. She told them that she had to get to an important class and had to leave.

Stefan kissed her on the cheek and told her to be safe. The latter part of course earned him an eye-roll. Nevertheless, Elena kissed back and then left.

" Damon, we're home. " Stefan yelled and moved to the kitchen to take out a blood-bag.

" There's no reason to yell, little bro. I'm still a vampire." Damon appeared in the kitchen within seconds. It seems that in his super-speed walk to the kitchen, he hadn't noticed Alaric in the living room.

" And just to make sure you remember that I am still a vampire, I'm going to take that for myself." Damon reached for the blood-bag that was in Stefan's hand. Stefan reached to get it back but his reflexes weren't as quick as Damon's.

" Fuck You, that was my last one. And, don't call me 'little bro' " Stefan scowled at Damon.

Damon simply smirked at him and said, " There's no such thing as a last one, Stef. We can always go compel people for blood. "

" There is if it's you." Stefan said, his face turning serious.

" Don't remind me, Stefan. I'd like to live my last days the way I want to. Anyway, we can always ask Meredith for more blood. Remember her deal?" Damon asked bitterly.

Stefan did remember. As long as none of the residents were hurt in Mystic Falls and Meredith received a little bit of blood here and there to help her patients, she allowed them access to the blood-bags in the hospital. He couldn't, however, remember why his brother seemed to really hate her.

" Why do you hate her, Damon?" Stefan asked curiously.

" I don't hate her, I just strongly dislike it. It goes both ways. " Damon answered him.

" But why?" Stefan pushed.

" Have you been watching _Gossip Girl_ again? I tell you, that show's going to turn you into a girl one of these days." Damon said smirking.

" That was one time, Damon." Stefan said annoyed.

" Actually it was two times. And, you're just better of not knowing so just drop it. " Damon said. It seemed that Stefan was going to reply but never got the chance.

Alaric noticed that his vampire instincts were still sharp because the second he decided to finally move from his half-frozen posture, Damon was in front of him ready to throw a punch.

" What the fuck?" Damon asked angrily and lowered his hand.

"Hi." Alaric seemed to manage one word before stepping backwards in fear. Alaric looked at Stefan, as if trying to tell him something telepathically. It seemed that Damon noticed the unspoken communication between the vampire and the human because he then narrowed his eyes.

"Would you mind telling me why _he's_ standing in our living room?" Damon asked.

" You see, I was going to tell you about that." Stefan stated nervously. S_hit, what was he going to say now? _

" Please tell me how you were going to explain _him _standing in our living room? Alaric noticed that Damon wasn't referring to him by name.

" Well..umm…you see…" Stefan scratched his neck. Damon was going to kill him.

" No I don't really see." Damon answered.

"Elena called and told me that you were dying and asked me to fly out." Alaric stated.

" So you flew out to see my dying ass after six years of silence and laugh it off. How sweet of you, Alaric." Alaric cringed inwardly. He should've known that Damon would be hostile.

" No actually, I came here to try to help with your problem." Alaric countered Damon's statement.

" I bet you did. Now please leave. As much fun as it has been, I really don't need this right now."

"Damon, I came here because I wanted to help you, not to laugh at you." Alaric said.

" That's just _so_ sweet of you, Alaric." Alaric wondered if Damon would ever refer to him as 'Ric' ever again.

" Damon, I'm sor-" Before he could finish his sentence, Damon grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

" No, you don't get to say you're sorry or any of your other bullshit. You chose to leave. It wasn't the other way. " Damon growled.

" Damon, let go of him." Stefan said gently. Damon let Alaric go and grabbed his jacket.

" Since I sense that neither of you are planning to leave, I'll escort myself out." Damon stated.

" Are you sure that's such a good idea, Damon?" Stefan asked concerned.

" You know, maybe you should think abut the ideas that pop in your head and if they're good ones or not. I mean, you have to have a brain somewhere in there." And with that, Damon stormed out of the boarding house.

_Well that went well. _Alaric thought as he heard the door slam.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter Four 

Once Damon was out of earshot, Alaric bombarded Stefan with the many questions that plagued his mind.

" Where's he going?" Alaric asked.

"Glad you're finally able to speak again. Probably the Grill." Stefan answered.

" Shut up. Didn't you say he was dying?" Alaric asked. Damon didn't look like he was dying. Actually, he looked quite the opposite. Still young and handsome as ever.

"He is dying." Stefan said.

"Then why the fuck doesn't he look it?" Alaric asked.

" He was hit by a curse." Stefan said.

" A what?" Alaric asked dumbly.

" A curse. You know, spells and witches and warlocks?" Stefan asked.

" What kind of curse is it?" Alaric asked wondering.

" It's called the 'pain of the life' . " Stefan answered Alaric's question.

" What in the fuck is that? Alaric asked.

" It means that Damon slowly becomes human and is destined to feel the pains that humans feel. After a while, the pain is supposed to become too much and drive him to insanity and eventual death" Stefan stated.

" So how long does he have left?" Alaric asked suddenly feeling sick.

" We don't know. So far he's only been coughing once in a while. But other than that, he's fine."

" So do you know any way of how to fix it ?" Alaric asked.

"We were trying to find something that could reverse the spell." Stefan answered.

" Did you ask Bonnie?" Alaric asked.

" Yes we did and she tried to find something but she couldn't and can't really help us anymore because she lost a lot of her powers by trying to find a counter spell."

"Well, I guess we have to find the witch who cursed him." Alaric said.

"That's what've been working on. So far, nothing. Elena had help from Caroline and Tyler and they couldn't find her." Stefan said.

"What about Damon? " Alaric asked.

" What about him?" Stefan asked confused as to why Alaric was asking about him.

" Well, he could search for the witch." Alaric stated the obvious.

"We've been trying to keep him near in case of anything. So we don't really want him to go off anywhere by himself. "

"Stefan, Damon's 170 years old. I think he could handle himself. And also, you just let him go out to the Grill. " Alaric resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

" I was actually going to go get him right now." Stefan stated getting his jacket.

" Actually Stefan, I thought maybe I could go after him." Alaric said asking Stefan with a hopeful face.

" It's at your own risk, Ric." Stefan warned him.

With that, Alaric grabbed the spare key that Stefan gave him and walked out of the house.

_I bet he'll be so happy to see me at the Grill. _Alaric thought sarcastically as he walked down the block.

A/N: Horrible, ooc, good? Please review to let me know. Thank You.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making money from writing this story.

Chapter Five 

Walking down the block to the Grill, Alaric braced himself for what was to come. He knew that Damon was pissed off and a pissed off Damon was dangerous. "Damon doesn't get mad, he gets even." Elena once told him that Stefan had said that. Though Alaric did not witness what occurred to prompt Stefan to say that, he couldn't help but agree. He counted to three before opening the door to Mystic Falls.

" Haven't seen you in a while." Matt greeted him.

"Yeah, it's been a while, Matt." Alaric answered. He really needed to find Damon before the vampire did something stupid. That, however, wouldn't happen anytime soon. It seemed that all of the residents of Mystic Falls always wanted to converse.

"So how have you been?" Matt asked curiously.

"Fine. I see you're still working here."

" Yeah, well it pays the bills. College's expensive, man." Matt said.

" You sure it's college and not that girl of yours?" Alaric teased.

" Bekkah? Nah man, she has a job now." Matt said with a smile on his face.

" Are we talking about the same girl? Blonde, vampire Original? Almost killed you Bekkah? Can't stop compelling people Bekkah?"

" Ric, it's been six years since you were here. Things change. Me and her- we have an agreement." Matt said.

" Which is...?" He wondered what could've caused one of the most powerful vampires to stop compelling.

" If she wouldn't stop compelling people, I would leave her." Matt simply stated.

" And she stopped just because of that?" Alaric didn't believe that that was possible.

" Well not exactly. It was hard for her at first. It was a long journey for both of us. But now she rarely compels people." Matt said proudly.

"Guess some things have change around here."

"Yeah, they have. I got to get back to work, man." Matt started to walk to help a waiting customer when Alaric called him.

" Any chance you've seen Damon?" He asked hopefully. Matt didn't answer with words. Instead he opened his mouth so wide that it looked like his jaw was going to hit the floor. He was staring at the opposite side of the Grill. Alaric turned his head so that he could see what Matt was looking at and almost fell of his chair.

_I guess I know where Damon is now. _He thought as he got off the stool and began to walk closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making money from writing this story.

Chapter six

Damon was dancing on the pool table. Scratch that, he wasn't dancing. It was more like grinding. He was surrounded by two women, who both seemed to have a dazed look in their eyes, signifying that they were drunk, or worse _compelled_.

Alaric noticed that one of them had blood dripping down her neck. The sight revolted him. The girl in question, however, did not seem to care that she had become a meal.

"The fuck is he doing there?" Alaric said and walked angrily toward the pool table.

"I don't know but I hope he gets off that table. If this gets back to my boss, I'll be in deep shit." Matt had followed Alaric and both of them were now standing next to the crowd that had formed around the pool table.

"Oh hey, Ric. What do you think of these lovely ladies?" Damon asked as he took a swig from the bottle of bourbon.

"Damon, get off the pool table." Alaric sighed. How was he going to get Damon to listen to him?

"No can do, Ric. You see, these lovely ladies and I have plans for later. But for now, we're fine with being here." Damon said as he took a bite into the neck of the giggling girl. Alaric had to look away in disgust. He looked at Matt.

"What are you looking at me for? He's your boyfriend. You get him off the table."

"He's not my _anything_. And you're the one who works here, Matt."

Matt rolled his eyes but grumbled a "fine." He tried to disband the crowd that had formed around Damon and was currently cheering him on. Damon seemed to notice because he turned around with a smirk on his face.

"Don't bother. You see, they've all been compelled. They won't leave unless I ask them to." Damon laughed. The laugh wasn't a genuine one; more like a cynical one.

"Damon, get off the fucking table or I'll ..." Alaric didn't really know what he was going to do if Damon refused to get off the pool table. How do you convince a centuries-old vampire to do something he doesn't want to do?

"You'll do what, exactly?" Damon sniggered and took another swig from the bottle.

"I'll call Stefan." Yep, he hadn't really planned out what his threat was going to be.

"Go ahead and call him. Stefan _sure_ does scare me." He rolled his eyes.

Alaric racked his head for what he could possibly say.

"I'll leave town if you get off the pool table and uncompel all of this people." He hoped that he sounded convincing because deep down he knew that he wouldn't leave.

"Hmm, let me think about. When will this deal of yours begin?" Damon asked.

"You get off the table, uncompel these people, and let those poor girls live and we'll talk." Alaric said seriously.

"Relax, Ric. I was only testing you." It seemed that Damon had drank a bit too much because he was now referring to him as 'Ric.'

Twenty minutes later, the crowd was disbanded and uncompelled. The giggling girls were let go off as well.

"So I guess we should say our good-byes." Damon stated.

"Well my stuff is still at the boarding house so I have to go get it." He was stalling, hoping that Damon wouldn't kill him once he knew that he wasn't actually going to leave town.

"Well then I guess we can walk together." They walked in silence. The silence wasn't awkward though. It wasn't the same silence he had experienced when he was standing in the airport with Stefan. The silence was peaceful; a silence between two friends who had drifted apart but eventually met each other again. No words were needed.

"We're here, Ric." Damon said and opened the door. Alaric followed him nervously. He didn't know what he was going to do next.

"I guess I'll go get my stuff." He went up the stairs to the guest room in which he knew his duffle would be waiting for him.

He was going to open the door once he got there. That, however, had not occurred. As soon as he came up to the guest room, he heard a crash and his name being called.

Most vampires would probably be impressed with the speed he had run down the stairs. Damon was on the floor. He was holding his head in his hands and writhing in pain.

_What am I supposed to do now?_ Alaric thought as he knelt down.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Chapter Seven

Damon was still writhing on the floor when Alaric approached him. Alaric knelt down and cursed the fact that this was the night that Stefan and Elena chose to go out. How was he going to deal with this?

Damon kept shaking. Alaric had to do something.

"Damon, what is it?" He asked hoping Damon would be able to respond.

In response, Damon groaned in pain. Noticing that Damon was gripping his head tightly Alaric tried to withdraw Damon's hands from his head. Damon wouldn't budge and actually screamed when Alaric came closer.

"Damon, I need to come closer to see what's wrong." He said.

Damon wasn't responding.

"Damon, you're not telling me what's wrong so I need to see." Alaric tried again.

It was evident that Damon had tried to move away from him but couldn't as he doubled over in more pain.

"Damon, I'm not going to hurt you." Alaric said gently.

After another ten minutes of coaxing the vampire to listen, Damon finally gave in. Alaric came up and took a look at Damon's head.

"Okay, so if I press somewhere and it hurts, just tell me." He looked at Damon for an answer but then realized that the vampire couldn't talk.

"I guess you could just nod, okay?" Alaric asked.

Damon managed a small nod. After a few minutes of looking around, Alaric couldn't find anything wrong. When he poked any part of Damon's head, Damon didn't complain. On the contrary, he just sat there and let Alaric check his head.

"Head hurts." Damon had finally regained the ability to speak.

"Like your head or you have a headache?"

"Headache." Damon gave him a 'duh-what else could it be' look.

"From what could you possibly have a headache, Damon?" He asked.

"Don't know but I sure would love a bottle of Tylenol right now."

"Yeah, just what _we_ need, a drug addict vampire." He rolled his eyes.

"Who's we?" Damon quirked his eyebrow.

"The town of Mystic Falls. And stop changing the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject. And hey, didn't you say you were going to leave town?"

"I... um.. I-" Alaric looked around the room for inspiration.

"Hey, while you're looking for a plausible execute, I'm going to get some Tylenol." He got up and began to walk only to realize that he couldn't. His head was spinning and if he walked another step, the floor would greet him. Alaric managed to move the chair right as Damon fell onto it.

"So what do you think it could've been?"

"Probably the curse." Damon said promptly.

"The what?" Alaric asked.

"I thought Stefan would have told you by now. You know, the curse that the stupid witch put on me."

"But he said that it supposed to make you human and then you would feel pain." Alaric said dumbfounded.

"Not exactly. See every day, I feel intense pain that has to do with some kind of problem that prompts that pain. Eventually, I'm supposed to turn human." Damon explained.

"So the curse prompted the headache?"

"No, it was probably something that I did before that could've caused a headache that most humans feel."

Alaric thought back on the events of the day. All he remembered was the excessive drinking that Damon had done at the Grill.

"Could it be the drinking, Damon?"

"Probably, maybe." Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"But that doesn't make sense, why would you feel so much pain from drinking?" Alaric asked.

"It's supposed to mimic a hangover." Damon said quietly.

"A hangover doesn't leave you writhing on the floor in extreme pain."

"It's an intense hangover. Everything humans feel when they're hurt or unwell, I feel a lot worse." Damon looked around the room. He really wished he could leave the room.

"I'm sorry, Damon." He said.

"Don't, Ric. I don't need your pity." Damon said.

"I didn't-" Alaric started saying but Damon interrupted him.

"Can you just get me some Tylenol and help me to my room? A nap sounds just about the perfect ending to this _wonderful_ day." Damon said.

Alaric got the Tylenol for Damon but made sure to see how much he was taking. He wasn't kidding before; he didn't want to deal with a drug addict vampire. Damon had enough addictions to deal with already.

After Damon drank the Tylenol, Alaric helped him to his feet and they went upstairs to Damon's room. Upon entering Damon's room, Alaric was surprised. The room was clean and neat. There was nothing dark or daunting about it. Alaric helped Damon get to the bed and told him to call him if he needed anything. He was going to open the door when he heard Damon calling his name. He turned around and looked at Damon questioningly.

"I didn't actually want you to leave town, you know?" Damon murmured and then turned over.

Alaric nodded because what else could he possibly do?

* * *

A/N: Please review. Thank You


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter eight

Four days later, Damon was up and about. He looked much better and gave no indication to the fact that he had to endure such horrible pain just a few days before. Alaric, ever so worrisome followed Damon around making sure that he was okay.

Alaric told himself that he didn't particularly care about Damon. He was in Mystic Falls because he wanted to help Stefan and Elena stop this curse. It wasn't Damon he was concerned about, it was his friends that he cared about. He didn't want to let Elena or Stefan down. He didn't want them to be struck by grief once again. They had lost so many people already. They didn't need to another person to that list.

So when Stefan called up a meeting about their problem one morning, Alaric jumped up out of bed. He took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs. He saw Elena and Stefan sitting in the middle of the table. Surrounding them were Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, and Tyler. He noticed that Damon was not sitting at the table. Instead, he was sitting on the couch gloomily. Alaric turned to look at him questioningly.

"Oh you see, I'm not allowed in the meeting. Very l_ogical _to not let the guy who is cursed into the meeting that is supposedly being held to help him." He had his usual smirk on.

Before Alaric could respond to Damon, Caroline interrupted him.

"Alaric, it's good to see you." She said cheerfully.

"You too." He nodded. He saw Damon rolling his eyes behind the book that he was holding.

"I see you've already met the grumpy old cat." Alaric could've sworn that Damon had stuck his tongue out a bit.

"Watch it, Barbie." Damon warned and went back to his book.

"Everyone's waiting for you in the kitchen." She said and led him to the kitchen.

Upon his arrival, the chatting stopped. Jeremy looked up from the conversation that he was having with Bonnie and smiled. Both him and Bonnie greeted him and then went back to their conversation. Tyler said, "Hey man" and nodded at Alaric when he came in the kitchen. Once everyone was settled around the table, Stefan began the meeting.

"So we all know what this meeting is about." He stated in his serious voice. No matter what, Stefan was the one who was always serious. He was wearing his "brooding face."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Bonnie's is going to do a locator spell to try to find the witch that placed the curse. " He said and sat down next to Elena. Alaric looked over to Bonnie and saw that her fingers were linked with Jeremy's. _Well that's new._ He thought and then went back to listening to the conversation.

"What?!" Jeremy exclaimed suddenly alarm.

"It's just a locator spell, I'll be fine." Bonnie reassured Jeremy.

"Are you sure?" He asked her worriedly.

"Jeremy, I'm a witch. I know what I'm doing." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Alright. But if anything, you should tell us." He said and Bonnie rolled her eyes once again but sighed and said, "okay."

While they were talking, Alaric noticed that Damon had entered the kitchen and was currently pouring some blood in a mug. He guessed that Damon had sensed being watched because he turned around, smirked, and said, " Oh don't mind, me."

Damon took his mug of blood and exited the room.

"Uh. Ric?" Bonnie said questioningly. Alaric looked and noticed that everyone left the table to give her space.

"Oh, uh..sorry." He got up and went to stand near Elena and Stefan.

Bonnie spread out a map of the town and mixed ingredients specified for the spell. After mixing the ingredients, she raised her arms above bowl and began to chant undecipherable phrases.

Alaric looked around and noticed that everyone seemed to be holding their breath and looked like they were in deep focus. If the situation wasn't serious, Alaric would've laughed.

As Bonnie kept chanting the spell, her arms began to shake. Blood was oozing out of her nose. Thus, Jeremy was worried and tried to stop her by shaking her and talking her out of it. He didn't succeed; of course not, when could anything in their lives be that simple?

After what seemed forever, Bonnie opened her eyes and said, "It's done." She then collapsed on the floor and the thud of her fall matched the sound that came from the living room.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I didn't want to annoy you guys by asking you to review. But can you please review? Even if you don't like something, please let me know so I know what I can change for the better. Thank You,

sweetandnasty27


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter nine

Alaric raced to the living room to see what had occurred. He momentarily forgot that Bonnie just collapsed in front of him. _Damon, he needed to find Damon_. That was the only thought that raced through his mind.

When he got to the living room, the scene that he saw made his inside crawl. Damon was on the floor; one hand holding his stomach. He was also holding his head in the same fashion he had a few days ago. This seemed a worse scenario, Alaric noted as he saw the blood exuding out of Damon's mouth.

Immediately, he called for Stefan's help. Stefan helped Alaric pick Damon up and they carried him into his room. After Damon yelled in pain, Alaric caught himself trying to soothe his pain by saying, "shh, it's okay." He noticed the knowing look Stefan was giving him. He simply ignored it and kept on walking.

Damon was gently laid on his bed. That however didn't stop his shouts or the seemingly never-ending blood oozing out of his mouth. Stefan told Alaric that he had to get going and asked if Alaric would be alright with handling Damon. Alaric guessed that he must've had a shocked expression on his face because Stefan further explained.

"Elena and I have to get to class and Tyler has to get to work. Caroline is going to be in the other room with Bonnie and Jeremy." Amongst all the chaos, Alaric forgot what time of the day it was.

"Is she okay?" He asked. Damon's screaming seemed to stop but he was still clutching his stomach.

"She's breathing." Stefan merely said.

"Well, that's a start." He said trying to lighten the mood.

Either Stefan was too tired or too affected by current events because he didn't reply at all. He said that Bonnie would be better soon and then left.

"Ric?" Damon's voice was soft and quiet.

"Yeah, it's me." He said.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.

"You fell so Stefan and I had to carry you up the stairs."

"No, Ric, what are you doing here?" Damon tried to raise his head but found that he was still in pain so he just laid back down.

"What do you mean?" Alaric was confounded.

"You said you never wanted to see me again." Damon said.

"That was a long time ago, Damon. I don't think now is the right time for this conversation."

"What do you mean a long time ago, Ric? That happened like two days ago." Damon looked confused.

"Damon, what day do you think it is?" Alaric asked gently.

" It's Saturday." He said matter-of-factly._No God, please not this!_ Alaric prayed

"And what year do you think is?" Alaric asked anxiously.

"It's 2013. What's with the twenty questions? You look green; are you okay, Ric?"

Alaric didn't know how to respond. What was he going to do? He needed to think quickly.

"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you? And didn't you say you were going to leave town?" Damon asked.

Not many things scared Damon. But Alaric pacing back and forth was going to be one of the things he was sure he was going to add to his list.

"Okay Damon, I need you to listen to me. Today's Monday and we're in the year 2019."

"Are you fucking with me?" Damon had finally managed to pick his head up and sat up. His stomach hurt but he wasn't sure. He was going to blame it on hunger.

"Damon, does your stomach hurt?" Alaric. He asked, concern written all over his face.

"How did you know that? Have you been talking with Judgy?"

"No Damon, you have to listen me. It's 2019 and you're cursed." Alaric said seriously.

"Cursed with eternally good looks?" Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"Damon, I'm serious. A witch placed a curse that terminates in your death; that's why your stomach hurts."

"Alright, alright, I get it, no need to yell. So you say I'm cursed?" Damon said.

"Yes, it's called the pain of life. You're supposed to turn human and eventually die."

"Nice way to break the news." Alaric had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. No matter what, Damon was his usual snarky self.

Both of them were engrossed in their thoughts; one sitting on the bed and the other standing in the middle of the room. Damon looked around and noticed that it was everything perfectly neat. The neatness didn't match the messiness inside of him.

Suddenly, Damon felt a surge of pain in his stomach. He felt dizzy. He yelled out, " trash can." Alaric managed to get the trashcan in time for Damon to puke out the contents of his stomach.

This kept on going for several minutes. When he was done puking, Damon wiped his mouth with a paper towel and laid back down. He started to welcome the darkness. Sleep was bliss.

His bliss was interrupted by reality.

"Damon, you have to drink." He tried to get Damon to sit up but Damon wasn't being compliant.

" I'm a vampire, don't have to." Damon muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, I don't think you're exactly a normal definition of a vampire being that you just threw up a whole lot stuff." Just thinking about what had occurred not a few minutes ago made Alaric's stomach queasy.

"Don't care."

"C'mon stop being a child."

"Ugh fine, give me the freaking water bottle." He reached for the bottle and drank most of it in one gulp. After he finished drinking, he welcomed the sleep that overtook him.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter Ten

Alaric sat on the edge of the bed looking after Damon. He noticed that Damon looked a lot younger in sleep, not only that; Damon looked innocent. He looked like a normal twenty-five year old guy who just had too much to drink. No matter how much Alaric wished their lives to be that simple, he knew it wasn't ever going to be a possibility. He sighed.

As he was observing Damon, he missed the door opening. Caroline had stepped inside and was wearing a small smile. Alaric realized that he had been staring openly at Damon and averted his eyes.

"Oh don't stop the creepy but cute stalking thing you got going on just because I'm here." She said.

"I wasn't stalking- why are you here? Is everything alright with Bonnie and Jeremy?" He asked

"Oh right, Bonnie woke up and wanted to talk with you. She says that she knows where the witch is and wants to talk to you about that."

"Why me specifically?" Alaric asked curiously. Damon groaned something unintelligible in his sleep.

"I don't know, Ric. I'm just the messenger." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, I'll be right out, can you look after Damon?"

"Of course I can look over your boo!" She exclaimed. He grimaced at the nickname she had given Damon. Thank god Damon was asleep.

"He's not my boo- oh forget it." He realized there was no point in arguing with the young woman. He said bye and left the room.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter eleven

Upon entering the room, he saw Bonnie and Jeremy sitting on the bed. They were talking quietly. He wasn't sure if it was because if they were doing that because of Bonnie's recent accident or because they were trying to keep something from the vampires in this house.

"Hey, Ric." Bonnie said and Jeremy nodded.

"Caroline said you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that I know where the witch is." She stated calmly.

"So where is she?" He asked. Something wasn't right. Why was she talking to him so slowly as if she was going to break some shocking news to him any minute?

"She's in town." Bonnie answered.

"That's great. Let's go hunt the bitch down." He said. Bonnie moved her eyes around the room.

"We can't go." She said.

"Am I missing something?" Alaric noticed the glances that both of them had exchanged. _Fuck, something was seriously wrong._

"We can't go because then we'd be dead." Jeremy said.

Upon seeing Alaric's confused expression, Bonnie explained Jeremy's statement.

"When I did the locator spell, I managed to find out where she was. But more than that, I heard her say something."

"Which was..?" Alaric asked. The clock in the room seemed to tick louder and louder as he waited for her answer.

"She kept muttering, 'the one, the only one'."

"Why does that mean that you can't come?"

"Don't you get it, Ric? You're the only one that is allowed to go to talk to her." Her eyes seemed to water a bit. He wondered if it was a witch thing or just a womanly thing.

"How do you know she was talking about me?" He asked.

"Witches have a way of knowing who is a significant other." She said.

"Look, that's obviously wrong, Damon and I haven't really been together for six years."

"I know that and I was skeptical about it myself. So I checked my grandma's old spell book to make sure. It said that the phrase 'the one, the only one' is _only _meant for a significant other." She said.

"But Damon and I haven't been together for six years." He felt foolish in having to repeat himself.

"It doesn't matter if you guys haven't been together. What matters is that you love each other. You love him, don't you?" Though she said that in a question, he knew that she already knew the answer.

He didn't deny it, but he didn't conform it either. Deep down, he had known that he never stopped loving Damon. No matter how much he had tried to convince himself that he didn't, he knew it was still there. The love they had shared wasn't pretty; far from for it- but it was love nevertheless. And though neither had voiced their affection, he knew that Damon loved him back. And if what Bonnie said about the whole significant other thing was true, then it meant that Damon still loved him.

"Alright, tell me the location." He sighed.

As Bonnie gave him the location and wrote the directions on a piece of paper, he looked out the window. He was too caught up in recent events that he hadn't even realized that it was raining. A single droplet of water slid down the window and fell onto the pavement.

* * *

A/N: Any feedback is welcome. Thank You,

sweetandnasty27


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter twelve

Alaric drove to meet the witch. He wanted to get down to business and ease Damon's pain. Though he told himself again that he wasn't worried about Damon, per se, but about the affect of his death on Stefan and Elena, he knew deep down that it wasn't true.

Bonnie had given him the directions. He was surprised that her directions led to the Mystic Falls neighborhood park. He expected an evil witch to want to meet in a secluded place, not a public place where her hocus pocus would be witnessed. He hoped that the witch would not try anything. He, however, did bring equipment Bonnie had suggested using to stall the witch.

As he pulled up to a parking space, he looked around and noticed that it was now sunny. The sunny weather wouldn't have been weird, if it were not raining just seconds ago. That was when Alaric was certain that Bonnie's locator spell had worked and he was in the right place.

He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Before he left the parking lot, he made sure to lock the door. He didn't want any magic to mess with his car too.

As he walked, the wind picked up the leaves that were previously strewn over the ground. The leaves danced around him, in a circular fashion. As he kept getting closer to the witch, he noticed that that the wind was heavier.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Alaric." Upon first glance, Jane Day appeared to look like an normal person, out for a walk in the park. However, on closer inspection, one would note that she was anything but normal.

Though she had the body of a young woman, she didn't look young. She looked like she had a couple of hundred years on Alaric. Her eyes, though they shone brightly, looked old. They had seen a lot of things during her lifetime and contained a lot of wisdom. She knew that she would be not be fooled by this man and smirked to herself as she thought of him trying and failing to do that.

"Yeah, well I couldn't wait to find you so that I could finally kill you." He said and curled his hands into fists.

"You're going to kill me? I'd like to see you try." And with that, all of the equipment Alaric had kept in his bags vanished into thin air.

"Don't get confident." Alaric said and tried to get a weapon that should've helped him repel the witch.

"You'll find the weapons where they respectively belong; at your witch's house. Now, let's talk business." She said and crossed her arms.

"You cursed Damon." Alaric simply stated and gave her an accusing look.

"That I did." Jane said. She wondered when this conversation would be over. Humans and their need to stretch out all of their thoughts; just say everything at once.

"So you can change him back?" He asked.

"Of course I can. But that's not the question you wanted to ask me, was it?" He shook his head.

"Now ask me what you really wanted to know." She said and out of thin air, a cigarette appeared out of nowhere and she lit it up with an invisible lighter. _Witches, go figure. _Alaric thought.

"Are you going to reverse the spell?" He asked impatiently.

"No." She said and took a drag.

"Why not?" He asked. He wanted to help Stefan and Elena with Damon's problem, but more than that, he wanted to know why this witch had done this to Damon.

"That disgusting excuse of what used to be a good man deserves it." She said.

"You seem very annoyed by Damon; almost as if this is personal. " He pressed her for answers.

"He broke my sister's heart." She said and looked around the park.

"He breaks a lot of people's hearts." _Including mine_. He thought.

"Yes, well at least he didn't tell them lies to get them in bed and eventually kill them." It did sound like Damon. Getting his victims into his beds had finally caught up to him when he got to a witch.

"So she died and this is your revenge?" He asked.

"No, she didn't die. She managed to get out and then tell me all about that scum bag. This is _our _revenge." She said.

"How is it _your_ revenge?"

"Because my sisters and I are tired of the vampire species always one-stepping us. We are tired of them manipulating our kind and not getting what they deserve."

"But how is this revenge going to work on other vampires?"

"It will show what could happen when they try to mess with witches." For a few minutes, Alaric thought about what she had told him.

"Listen Alaric, though I despise Damon and do not very much like you, I feel like you are genuinely concerned about him and really want to help so I am going to help you." She said and with the snap of her fingers, the cigarette disappeared.

"So you'll stop the curse?" He asked eagerly. He couldn't lie to himself anymore; he wanted Damon to get better and to seem him up and about. He wanted to see Damon _smiling._

"Of course not." She said.

"But you just said-" He didn't finish his sentence because she interrupted him by placing a thin piece of paper into his hands. The wind picked up again and Alaric closed his eyes but held on to the paper tightly. When he opened his eyes, Jane Day was no longer there.

_ Here's your hint, Alaric Saltzman: Bad deeds, not forgotten but forgiven._ The note said.

Alaric kept thinking about the note as he drove back to the boarding house.

* * *

A/N: Please review. Thank You.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter thirteen

He walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. Caroline opened the door on the first ring and her face told her everything he needed to know. He rushed up the stairs to Damon's room.

The shrieks he had heard previously were nothing in comparison to the ones he heard now. Upon entering the room, he saw Damon twisting and turning. Furthermore, Damon was yelling out incoherent phrases. Alaric came close to the bed and was about to the sit at the edge of the bed when he heard footsteps behind me.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." It seemed that Caroline had once again used her vampire speed to get to Damon's room.

Alaric turned around.

"You tried that already?" He asked incredulously. Damon kept screaming.

"No but every time someone tries to get close to him, he kicks them. I'd rather not get close to him, if you know what I'm saying." She tried to give a smile but Alaric could tell that it was fake.

"Oh." Alaric said softly. He felt the strings of his heart being torn apart. He couldn't _save _Damon, after all.

Caroline seemed to notice the skeptic look Alaric had on and said, "I'm sure it'll pass eventually. What's the worst thing that can happen?" And with that, Damon fell into a state of oblivion.

"So….. he's sleeping beauty now." Alaric said trying to make the tension less visible.

"And you're his prince." Caroline smirked.

"Oh god, Caroline, don't ever say that again." Alaric rolled his eyes.

"You started it." She glanced at Damon, who was now lightly snoring and added, "I'll go help Bonnie and Jeremy make some dinner, holler if you need anything."

"Sure." Alaric said and laid down next to Damon.

After a while, Damon rolled over and placed his head on Alaric's head, mumbling something indecipherable. And for he first time in over six years, Alaric put his arm around Damon, pulling him in.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter fourteen

Alaric awoke a few hours later in the night. He wasn't sure what exactly had woken up until he heard the terrible screeching coming from the other side of the bed. Damon's body was trembling on the other side of the bed. His hands were clinging to his own face, as if they had been glued to it for the rest of the eternity. Alaric shot out of bed and went around the bed, kneeling before Damon.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently, trying to pry Damon's hands off of his face. After a few seconds, he managed to achieve the task. He noticed that tears had welled up in Damon's eyes. Damon was still shaking though.

"Head hurts." Damon said sniffling. Alaric swept some of Damon's hair to the side and put his clammy hand on Damon's forehead.

"I think you have a fever." Alaric said retrieving his hand.

"Gotta admit, that's a first time a vampire hears that statement thrown at him." Damon commented.

"How you manage to be your snarky self even when you're unwell is beyond me." Alaric said smiling.

"You_ love_ it." Damon said and winked. And then, then, Damon smiled. His smile wasn't the half-ass smirk he usually had on; it was genuine. His eyes were shining brightly. For several minutes, they stared at each other; their eyes speaking the words that they could not say aloud.

Alaric was the one to break the staring.

"I'm going to go get a thermometer and some Tylenol. You wanted some blood?" Alaric said.

Damon nodded, wiping his eyes. Alaric helped him settle back in bed.

Leaving the room, Alaric thought back on Damon's comment. _I do love it, God, do I love it._

* * *

A/N: PLease review. Thank You,

sweetandnasty27


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter fifteen

After several minutes, Alaric returned with the thermometer, Tylenol, and two blood bags; the extra one in case of an emergency. After deciding that Damon did in fact have a fever, Alaric gave him the Tylenol pills. After a while, Damon's fever had gone down and he fell asleep.

A few hours later, Alaric awoke to Damon mumbling something over and over again. He turned over and noticed that Damon was talking in his sleep.

"What is it, Damon?" Alaric shook Damon out of his sleep.

"Thirsty." Damon croaked.

Alaric reached for the water bottle standing on his nightstand but Damon grabbed his hand and shook his head. Damon pointed to the right side of the nightstand. _Oh._ Alaric reached for the blood bag and passed it to Damon.

Damon grabbed the bag, sat up, and devoured the blood within seconds. Alaric smiled at the fact that Damon's love for blood hadn't changed and that he was still comfortable with Alaric to not hide his vamped-out face.

Alaric's smile, however, disappeared after a few seconds. Damon was coughing.

"Shit, shit!" Alaric moved closer to Damon.

Damon kept coughing and started to hack up blood. Alaric started hitting his back and as he was readying himself to do the heimlich maneuver, Damon spoke.

"I'm going to puke." Damon said still coughing a bit. Alaric shot out of bed and ran for the trashcan. Alaric got there just in time as Damon emptied the contents of his stomach.

After while, Damon wiped his mouth and settled back down into the bed. Alaric followed. After a few minutes of silence, Damon cleared his throat.

"I would presume that I have transitioned back into a human. Never thought I was going to say that." Damon gave a weak smile.

"I think you need to eat real food now." Alaric stated ignoring Damon's sarcasm.

"I'm not hungry." Damon said stubbornly.

"Damon, _please_." The urgency was audible in Alaric's voice.

"Okay." Damon agreed. Alaric left the room then.

After heating up some chicken soup, he returned with a big bowl and some crackers. He put the tray down on the nightstand. He helped Damon sit up and propped the pillows up. He put the tray on Damon's lap and then went over to the other side of the bed. Alaric climbed into bed and turned on the TV.

The two men sat next to each other in a comfortable silence. They didn't really care for what was being said on the TV as they did for each other.

* * *

A/N: Please review. I would really like to know your opinion. Thank You,

sweetandnasty27


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter sixteen

Once Damon finished eating and the tray was set aside, he fluffed his pillows, settled down and closed his eyes. Alaric, getting the hint, turned the TV off. He got under the covers and slipped an arm around Damon's waist.

Alaric threaded fingers through Damon's hair and cleared his throat. Damon turned over and opened his eyes.

"We'll figure something out." Alaric spoke softly.

"You're kidding yourself, Ric. This shit is going to eat me alive." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Quit talking like you got cancer." Alaric said.

"Don't worry, a few more days and you won't have to hear me talk at all." Damon yawned.

"Stop it, Damon." Alaric pleaded.

"It's true though. I'll be dead soon anyway." Damon said flatly.

"Damon, we're going to fix this." Alaric said seriously.

"There's nothing left to fix. I just want you to know I'm sorry." Damon stated loudly.

"Damon-" Alaric started.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. You didn't deserve it." Damon said.

"Damon, I-" Alaric tried again.

"I just want you to know that I'm so sorry for what I put you through." Damon said and rolled over.

"Damon, it's-" Alaric noticed that Damon had fallen asleep within seconds.

* * *

_It was a chilly September evening; the leaves strewn all over the ground and the sweater-clad arms signified fall. The boarding house in which two brothers lived was mostly dark; only one light was turned on._

_The older one was pacing back and forth. Next to him, his lover lay lifeless on the carpet. Scratch that, his ex-lover. Damon, who was the older brother, thought. As he was pacing, he hadn't noticed his pesky little brother entering the room. __"What did you do now?" Stefan asked, not surprised. His brother had a knack for screwing up things._

_"I might've snapped Ric's neck." Damon whispered looking down on Alaric. He prayed that he ring was working._

_"You don't just go around snapping peoples' necks, Damon!" Stefan exclaimed._

_"I know, I-" Damon started to say._

_"Especially the ones you fucking love." Stefan interrupted._

_"Stefan, I-" Damon didn't know what to say_

_"And the ones you plan to spend forever with." Stefan continued to rant._

_"I get it, Stefan. I fucked up. What else do you want to me to say?" Damon said._

_"You know that he's probably never going to forgive?" Stefan asked._

_"I know." Damon said softly. He didn't want to think of that though. Maybe they'd work something out, he couldn't imagine himself without Alaric._

_"Why'd you do it anyway?" Stefan asked curiously crossing his arms._

_"That stupid psycho bitch doctor was giving him ideas on how to turn us into rainbow-loving vamps and I wasn't really on board with that." Damon said._

_"Really, Damon?" Stefan asked._

_"Yes." Damon said looking around the room._

_"Damon?" Stefan knew his brother._

_"Okay, maybe I exaggerated but whatever. How we live our lives shouldn't be her fucking concern." Damon said._

_"So you decided to snap Ric's neck for suggesting alternate methods?" Stefan asked._

_"Well when you put it that way…" Damon said. _

_"It sound stupid and childish, doesn't it, Damon?" Stefan had a small smile on his face, though there was nothing funny to smile about. _

_"Shit, Stefan, I fucked up." Damon whispered._

_"Good job, Damon." Stefan said._

_Alaric's body was convulsing, indicating that he was going to take his first breath again._

_"Well I better go, good luck." Stefan said and within seconds he was out the door. Probably going to see Elena. Damon thought and then turned back to Alaric._

_Alaric took a deep breath and after a few seconds sat up. He looked around the room and then noticed Damon. Damon kneeled down and tried to give Alaric a hand._

_"Don't touch me, Damon." Alaric said._

_"Ric, I-" Damon started to say._

_"You killed me, Damon, you fucking killed me." Alaric stated, some tears had escaped his eyes. He wiped at them and got up._

_ "I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking."_

_"That's the problem, Damon. You never think."_

_"How can I make it better?" Damon asked pleadingly. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Alaric._

_"You can't." Alaric simply stated._

_"I'm so sorry, RIc." Damon said reaching his hand out to Alaric._

_"You're not sorry and stop calling me that. My name is Alaric." Alaric swatted at Damon's hand._

_"I am, God am I sorry. I'll be making up to you the rest of my eternal life." Damon said._

_"That's too late for that, you won't see me after tonight." Alaric said sternly._

_"Ric, please. I'll do anything!" Damon said._

_"Don't you get it, Damon? There's nothing you can do to make this right. You're violent, cruel, and heartless." Alaric said heatedly._

_"Ric, you don't mean that." Damon whispered softly._

_"I do. Now please move out of the way so I can go pack my stuff."_

_After a few minutes, Alaric left to gather his stuff leaving Damon in the middle of the living room; Damon's heart shattered into a billion different pieces._

* * *

Alaric jolted out of the memory. He rolled over and got as close to Damon as he could.

"You're none of those things, Damon. You're warm and you give so much love and I know that sometimes that's what messes you up in the end."

Damon muttered something in his sleep.

"I'm sorry that I realized it too late. I forgive you Damon. I forgave you a long time ago." Alaric continued his speech.

Damon rolled over and put his face right onto Alaric's chest. Alaric smiled.

"I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you. I hope you know that I never stopped loving you, Damon." One teardrop ran down Alaric's face.

Outside the room, lighting struck.

* * *

A/N: Please review. Thank You,

sweetandnasty27


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter seventeen

Alaric smiled down at Damon, whose head was positioned on Alaric's chest. His smile quickly vanished when he noticed that Damon was still. Alaric realized that Damon wasn't breathing. Alaric kept shaking him.

"Wake up, wake up, you stupid son of a bitch." He kept shaking him and tried to revive him.

Nothing was working. Alaric was sure that his screaming had woken up the population of half of Mystic Falls. He didn't give a damn, though, as he kept trying to get Damon to wake up.

He guessed that his shouting had alerted the residents of the Boarding House seeing as Stefan and Elena had appeared besides him.

"What happened?" Stefan said worriedly as he rushed to his brother's side.

"I don't know. We were sleeping and then he suddenly stopped breathing." Alaric couldn't stop cradling Damon.

"Ric, I need to step away from my brother." Stefan said.

"No." Alaric held his ground.

"Please, Ric. I can help him." Stefan pleaded.

"I'm not leaving him."

"I'm not asking for you to leave him. I just need to get closer."

Alaric still hadn't moved.

This time Elena spoke. "Please, Ric, we want to help." She looked up with a pleading look.

After a few seconds, Alaric went reluctantly.

Stefan inspected Damon's body closely.

"Call Bonnie." Stefan announced after a few minutes.

"What?" Alaric whispered.

Elena, bless her, wasted no time and dialed Bonnie's number within seconds.

"What do you want me to tell her?" Elena asked.

"Tell her to come over. And tell her to hurry." Realizing that his tone was a bit harsh, he softened his eyes and gently said, "Please, baby."

Elena nodded and quickly told Bonnie everything. Elena hung up and said, "She'll be here in a few minutes." She looked at Stefan sitting by Damon's side and wiped her eyes. She quickly moved and sat down next to Stefan and took his hand. She whispered something into Stefan's hand; Alaric couldn't hear what but he didn't think it mattered. Stefan nodded and gave her a small smile.

Alaric realized that he wasn't the only one affected by Damon's current situation. He moved closer to them and sat on the other side of Damon. He swept Damon's bangs to the side and threaded his fingers through his hair.

"Why did you want to call Bonnie?" Alaric asked Stefan.

"She can help us." Stefan turned and looked at Alaric.

"How?" Alaric said.

"She can get Damon out of this state." Stefan said.

"What do you mean, _state_? He's not fucking breathing!" Alaric yelled.

"Actually, he is breathing." Stefan said.

"How do you know?" Alaric asked skeptically.

Stefan turned completely so that he was facing Alaric.

"Okay, so you know all that bullshit with blood brothers and soul mates?" Stefan asked.

"You mean how that shit about them being connected?"

"Yes." Stefan said.

"So what, you and Damon are connected?" Alaric asked curiously.

"Yes."

"But that would mean you guys are soul mates. Aren't soul mates romantically involved?"

Stefan laughed. "Man, that's so gross. Please don't mention my brother's name and mine in the same sentence with the words, "soul mate" or "romantically involved."

Glancing at Alaric's confused face, Stefan sighed and said, "Damon and I are blood brothers."

"What does that mean?" Alaric asked.

"Well, Damon and I share the same blood because of our parents, right? So after we became vampires, this witch, Emily put a spell on us."

"And that spell…" Alaric urged Stefan to continue.

"Made us connected. Whenever Damon was in serious danger, I would feel it."

"But I've seen you guys in dangerous situations and it didn't affect both of you."

"Exactly. The spell only works in severe situations." Stefan elaborated.

"Such as this one." Alaric finished.

"Yeah, that's why I could tell that he wasn't completely dead." Stefan said.

"But Ric, you know that soul mate part I was talking about?" Stefan continued.

"Yeah, what about it?" Alaric asked. He yawned. It seemed it would be a very long time before he got any sleep in this town.

"Well, you do know who's his soul mate, right?" Stefan asked. There seemed to be a teasing tone in his voice. Apparently Alaric hadn't sensed it.

"Who is it?" Alaric and clenched his hands into fists. Being a vampire, not many things had scared Stefan but Stefan could verify that in this moment he was a bit frightened.

"Easy, tiger. It's you, Ric." Stefan smirked, a gesture Alaric guessed he had acquired from Damon.

"Oh." Alaric seemed to calm down.

"I'm surprised. I thought Bonnie had mentioned this to you."

"I did." All three occupants of the room turned their heads at the sound of the newcomer.

"I did tell him." Bonnie repeated.

"Now let's see if we can fix this problem." And with that, she marched over to Damon's body.

* * *

A/N: Happy Season 5! What did you guys think of the premiere? The Originals? Anyway, please review. I would like to get a review that states what you don't like about this fic. The plot, the character development, the grammar, the syntax etc..? Please state what you would like to be changed and how you would change it if you were the author. Getting good reviews is great but getting constructive criticism is better and more helpful. Therefore, please review and I'll update sooner.

Thank You,

sweetandnasty27

P.S. To the guest who posted a review, I couldn't answer you back so I'll answer here. You'll get your answer in the next chapter. :)


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